The invention relates to an internal combustion engine with several cylinders, each of which two intake valves and two exhaust valves, which are each arranged in a valve mount of a cylinder head of the internal combustion engine as well as a coolant distributing chamber and a coolant accumulating chamber are associated to, wherein for each cylinder two coolant ducts are formed in the cylinder head which are each fluidly connected to the corresponding coolant distributing chamber and the corresponding coolant accumulating chamber.
The internal combustion engine may have any number of cylinders. As an alternative, only a single cylinder may be provided. The cylinders have at least some areas which are formed in a cylinder crankcase of the internal combustion engine and are closed or bounded in a direction by the cylinder head. A combustion chamber of the cylinder is hereby positioned on the side proximate to the cylinder head. In order to supply the cylinders with fresh air or a fuel-air mixture, on one hand, and to withdraw exhaust gas therefrom, on the other hand, at least four valves are associated to each cylinder. Two of the valves are hereby configured as intake valves and two further valves as exhaust valves. The valves are arranged in valve mounts of the cylinder head, which open into the cylinder or the combustion chamber.
In order to dissipate heat developing during operation of the internal combustion engine, from the valves, namely the intake valves and the exhaust valves, each cylinder is associated with a cooling device. The latter includes the coolant distributing chamber, the coolant accumulating chamber, and at least two coolant ducts. The coolant ducts are formed in the cylinder head, thus are realized therein hollow spaces. This may also be the case for the two chambers. As an alternative, the chambers may also be formed in the cylinder crankcase, in particular configured therein as hollow spaces. The hollow spaces of the cylinder head and/or the cylinder crankcase, are made, for example, during a casting process. The two coolant ducts of each cylinder are fluidly connected to the coolant distributing chamber of the cylinder and the coolant accumulating chamber of the cylinder, so that a coolant, which is supplied to the coolant distributing chamber, flows through the coolant ducts into the coolant accumulating chamber and is discharged from there.
The publication DE 103 21 035 B3 is known in the art and discloses an internal combustion engine with a cylinder head to delimit a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine with an inlet side and an outlet side and a coolant circuit for cooling the cylinder head, wherein associated to a combustion chamber are at least two intake valves and two exhaust valves for closing respective inlet and outlet openings which are arranged in the cylinder head, a first accommodation shaft for a spark plug or an injection nozzle, and a coolant chamber of the coolant circuit. Provision is hereby made to guide a coolant flow transversely to the internal combustion engine in longitudinal direction from the outlet side to the inlet side of the cylinder head and to surround a second accommodation shaft for a glow plug between two inlet ducts associated to the intake valves at least in part by the coolant chamber, and for a coolant flow to circulate an area between an inlet duct and the second accommodation shaft.